CostToStudy.com • Global Student Immigration Costs
Student Visa Cost by Country 2026: Fees, Health Charges and Funds
Compare application fees, biometric charges, health-related costs, residence-permit payments and financial-evidence rules without treating every amount as money paid to immigration authorities.
Figures are planning estimates. Confirm programme fees, visa requirements and housing terms with the relevant official provider before making payments.
Compare Student Visa Costs and Funding Rules
Search the full country dataset, separate payable immigration charges from funds that only need to be demonstrated, and compare up to five destinations. Records with nationality-dependent routes or missing official figures are marked rather than assigned a false zero.
| Compare | Country | Application Fee | Biometrics or Levy | Health Charge | Residence Permit | Proof of Funds | Evidence Period | Data Quality | Last Checked |
|---|
Visa Cost Is Not One Number
A small application fee can sit beside a much larger financial-evidence rule. The evidence amount normally remains the student’s money, although a blocked account, guaranteed investment product or advance transfer can restrict when it becomes available. A health surcharge, insurance premium or residence-registration payment is different because it is normally spent rather than merely demonstrated.
Paid to apply
Application and biometric charges
These are processing payments made when the application is filed. Some destinations also charge an immigration levy, SEVIS fee, permit fee or nationality-based issuance fee.
Paid for coverage
Health surcharge or insurance
The United Kingdom uses a visa-linked health surcharge, Australia requires qualifying overseas student cover, and other destinations leave insurance pricing to provinces, institutions or approved insurers.
Shown as evidence
Living funds and tuition capacity
These amounts establish that study and living costs can be financed. They should not automatically be added to visa fees as though the government keeps the full amount.
Selected 2026 Student Routes
The examples below show why the database keeps application fees, health costs and financial evidence in separate fields. Local service-centre charges, document translation, medical examinations, police certificates and currency-conversion costs can sit outside the listed government figures.
| Destination | Main application charges | Health-related route | Financial evidence | Cost interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £558 Student visa application fee. [S1] | Student-rate Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 for each visa year, calculated from the immigration-permission period. [S2] | Course fees plus £1,529 per month in London or £1,171 outside London, for up to nine months. The maintenance amount must normally meet the 28-day holding rule. [S3] | The application fee and health surcharge are paid. Maintenance funds are evidence rather than an additional visa charge. |
| Canada | CAN$150 study-permit fee. [S4] Biometrics cost CAN$85 for an individual when required. [S5] | There is no single federal student-permit health surcharge. Insurance obligations and public-plan eligibility can depend on the province, institution and study period. | For applications on or after September 1, 2025 outside Quebec, one applicant must show CAN$22,895 for first-year living expenses, excluding tuition and transportation. [S6] | The permit and biometrics are payments. The financial threshold is only one part of the required capacity because tuition and travel remain separate. |
| Australia | The Subclass 500 Student visa starts from AUD2,000 unless an exemption or concession applies. [S7] | Overseas Student Health Cover must normally start at least one week before the course and continue for the intended stay. The premium depends on the insurer, coverage period and accompanying family members. [S8] | The evidence route can include travel, 12 months of living costs, tuition and school costs for accompanying school-age children. [S8] | The visa charge and OSHC premium are paid costs. Financial capacity is assessed separately and can vary with tuition and family composition. |
| Germany | The standard processing fee for a national visa used for a longer stay is €75, subject to available waivers or reductions. [S9] | Health-insurance evidence is handled separately from the national-visa fee, and the eventual premium depends on the accepted insurance route. | The standard study route can be supported by a blocked account containing at least €11,904 in 2026, a scholarship or a declaration of commitment. [S10] | The €75 fee is spent. The blocked-account balance remains student funding but is released under account limits. |
| France | The student page lists an indicative €50 price for countries using the Études en France procedure and €99 for other countries, with special cases possible. [S11] | The cited student-visa tariff does not contain a fixed annual health surcharge. Health coverage and later residence formalities should remain separate database fields. | The general student-residence rule requires resources of at least €615 per month, subject to the applicant’s circumstances and stated exceptions. [S12] | The fee varies by application channel. The monthly resource figure is evidence and should not be presented as a government payment. |
| Ireland | The standard entry-visa fees are €60 for single entry and €100 for multiple entry, with exemptions and local submission charges possible. [S13] | Private medical insurance or qualifying travel insurance is required for first student registration. A €300 registration fee applies when the applicant is not exempt. [S14] | A one-year course requires immediate access to at least €10,000, while courses lasting six to eight months use €833 per month. [S15] | Visa and registration charges occur at different stages. Insurance pricing is provider-based, while the finance amount is evidence. |
| United States | The F or M student-visa application fee is US$185. Applicants may also face a nationality-based issuance fee. Financial evidence can be requested for educational, living and travel costs. [S16] | There is no single federal health surcharge included in the visa fee. Student insurance requirements are normally set through the institution or applicable local arrangements. | There is no single national maintenance figure. The amount follows the school’s Form I-20 cost information and the evidence reviewed during the visa process. | F and M applicants also pay the US$350 I-901 SEVIS fee. [S17] |
| New Zealand | The May 2026 fee table lists a NZ$485 student-visa application fee in Bands A and C or NZ$270 in Band B, plus a NZ$265 immigration levy and any applicable International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. [S18] | Health and medical costs are not represented as one fixed student-visa surcharge in the cited fee table. Separate medical, insurance or maternity requirements can apply to an individual case. | Tertiary and other non-compulsory students must normally show NZ$20,000 for each year or NZ$1,667 for each month when study is shorter than one year, plus outward-travel capacity. [S19] | Application location and citizenship affect the payable band. Living funds remain separate from the visa fee and levy. |
Health Charges Follow Different Systems
A country filter labelled only “health insurance required” would hide three different budget effects. A visa-linked surcharge has a published rate and is paid during the application. Mandatory private insurance has a variable premium based on duration and coverage. Institution or province-based insurance may not be known until the university, campus or regional eligibility route is selected.
Visa-linked surcharge
The amount can often be calculated from the immigration-permission length. It belongs in upfront immigration cash because payment is normally required before a decision is completed.
Mandatory insurance policy
The rule may be national while the price remains provider-specific. The database therefore stores the coverage requirement separately from the estimated premium.
Regional or institutional coverage
A province, university or student-services body may determine eligibility and cost. These records should be marked as variable rather than assigned a national average that suggests a fixed government tariff.
Proof of Funds Is an Access Test
Financial evidence answers whether money is available, not whether the full amount is paid to the visa authority. The main exceptions are restricted arrangements such as blocked accounts, guaranteed investment products or funds transferred to a controlled account. The money still supports the student, but access can follow a release schedule.
Evidence periods also differ. The United Kingdom uses up to nine months of maintenance and applies a holding-period rule. Canada asks for first-year tuition, living expenses and transportation. Germany publishes a blocked-account amount. The United States relies on school-specific costs and consular evidence rather than one national maintenance figure.
Once the immigration requirement has been separated from tuition, housing and recurring spending, a broader annual study-cost estimate can show how much of the required balance is likely to be used during the academic year.
Amounts That May Sit Outside the Visa Fee
Before submission
- Passport renewal
- Certified translations
- Document legalisation or apostille
- Language-test or admission documents
- Medical examination or tuberculosis test
- Police certificate
After approval or arrival
- Residence-permit registration
- Mandatory insurance activation
- Biometric residence card
- Local registration tax
- Renewal fee
- Dependent application charges
These items should not be inserted into every country record automatically. A medical examination, biometric fee or residence card belongs in the total only when the route, nationality and study duration make it applicable.
Methodology
The database uses 2026 government, immigration and official residence-permit sources. Application fees, biometric payments, immigration levies, health surcharges, insurance requirements, post-arrival permit charges and financial-evidence amounts are stored as separate fields.
Monthly financial requirements are annualised only when the official rule covers a full 12-month period. Nine-month, course-length and first-year requirements retain their original evidence period. Proof-of-funds amounts are not added to payable fees unless the record identifies a real charge, premium or non-refundable payment.
Currency conversion uses the central 2026 rate dataset while preserving the local-currency amount, rate date and source reference. Nationality-dependent fees and routes without a single official number display a variable or limited-data status. Missing values are never replaced with zero.
Official Sources
- [S1] UK Government — Student visa overview Applies to: 2026 Student visa application fee. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S2] UK Government — Immigration Health Surcharge amount Applies to: student-rate healthcare surcharge. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S3] UK Government — Student visa money requirement Applies to: London and non-London maintenance amounts and holding period. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S4] Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Study permit Applies to: CAN$150 study-permit fee. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S5] Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Biometrics fees Applies to: individual biometric fee. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S6] Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Proof of financial support Applies to: first-year living-expense requirement outside Quebec. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S7] Australian Department of Home Affairs — Subclass 500 Student visa Applies to: minimum application charge and route conditions. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S8] Australian Department of Home Affairs — Student visa document checklist Applies to: OSHC coverage and financial-capacity evidence categories. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S9] German Federal Foreign Office — Visas for Germany Applies to: national-visa processing fee. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S10] German Federal Government portal — Visa for studying Applies to: 2026 blocked-account amount and alternative finance routes. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S11] France-Visas — Student visa Applies to: indicative EEF and non-EEF student visa prices. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S12] French Public Service — Foreign student long-stay visa and residence permit Applies to: monthly resource requirement and student residence formalities. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S13] Immigration Service Delivery Ireland — Preclearance and entry visa fees Applies to: single-entry and multiple-entry visa fees. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S14] Immigration Service Delivery Ireland — First registration documents Applies to: private medical insurance and €300 registration fee. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S15] Immigration Service Delivery Ireland — Student finance requirements Applies to: one-year and six-to-eight-month funding evidence. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S16] U.S. Department of State — Student Visa Applies to: F and M visa fee, Form I-20 and evidence of educational, living and travel costs. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S17] U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — I-901 SEVIS Fee Applies to: F and M student SEVIS payment. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S18] Immigration New Zealand — May 2026 Fees Guide Applies to: student-visa fee bands, immigration levy and possible IVL. Checked: July 17, 2026.
- [S19] Immigration New Zealand — Student fund requirements Applies to: annual and monthly living funds and outward-travel evidence. Checked: July 17, 2026.